Torey Lovullo: Eugenio Suarez told me ‘I’m going to be your guy’

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he never lost confidence in third baseman Eugenio Suarez despite his struggles this season.

Lovullo joined Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Friday and discussed the advice he gave Suarez.

“I just expressed that he should create an interest in going out there and working to get there a little bit sooner. That means a little bit more high intensity training and a little bit more effort in his preparation to go out there,” Lovullo said.

In his last seven games, Suarez has hit three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Lovullo added the work Suarez did in the batting cage before the games was a big reason for his recent success.

“I can show you video of what he’s doing and he’s getting after it,” Lovullo said. “I felt like it would turn around and I’m glad it has.”

Lovullo said despite giving Blaze Alexander and Kevin Newman some playing time at third base, Suarez continued to work to get better.

“He said do what you got to do, but I’m going to be ready for you one day and I’m going to be your guy,” Lovullo said. “To me, that’s the definition of teammate and confidence. I had tough decisions to make but I felt like he was doing enough defensively to show me that he was going to continue to help us win baseball games.”